Whisky, and why I drink it

It's the most diverse, unusual, variable, interesting, delicious beverage on the planet. One could drink two drams a day for the next 50 years and never discover all there is to taste, smell and savour.

Light, cool and refreshing. This is unusual in something so old. There's a lot of vanilla flavour from the long wood aging, but this does not overpower the slight salty, bitter flavour components such as driftwood and orange peel. Pleasant and drinkable.

A great salty seaweedy Talisker, very different from the somewhat sweet, smoky official bottlings. There's just a glimmer of smoke in this, with a lot of peat and salt. The orangey characteristics that appear as marmalade in the official bottlings comes through here as orange peel.

A strangely named official bottling from the strangely named Speyside distillery. Anyway, it's very drinkable, if a little middle of the road. Slightly unpleasant metallic edge to the finish, but the nose and the taste are very pleasant, light and sweet indeed.

Bitter and robust, with huge bursts of peaty, chemical flavours - engine exhaust (very unusual) and leather (rather more common). Pleasant spicy notes that manifest mostly as vanilla and beery hops. Good and strong, best with food.